True Loves and Everyone Else
by alizep
Summary: Series of drabbles about what would happen if the Senshi's anime loves met their manga counterparts. Who would they choose? In order - Ami, Rei, Minako, Makoto.
1. Crossroads

This is part one of my drabbles of what happens when the anime characters fmeet the manga characters. Please review! I love to hear from everyone!

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"Hey kid!" Urawa cried out, grabbing the younger boy by the shoulder as he was about to step off the curb and into the street. The boy, startled, turned to face Urawa unsure of what this stranger wanted. A large bus speed through the red light in front of them and Urawa breathed a sigh of relief.

"Do I know you?" the younger boy asked wearily.

"No, but you looked like you needed some help."

"What do you mean by that?" he asked, his eyebrows scrunching together.

Urawa glanced at his watch and glanced around quickly. "Here, buy yourself an ice cream." Urawa handed the kid some coins, and nervously glanced around before taking off into the crowd. He jogged a few blocks looking for something, but not quite sure or what. All he knew was that he'd recognize it once he saw it. For the first time he was unsure of his future. He knew about the woman whose briefcase was going to fall open, and he was there to catch the briefcase before all of the contents spilled out. Earlier he foresaw the small boy walking in front of the bus, but after that he was only able to see as far as the present moment. It was almost as if he were about to reach a crossroad that would decide his future.

People continued to pass in front of him, random faces passing by on their way to their different locations. What could be so important that he needs to be here? Frustrated, Urawa looked around deciding whether or not to go back the way he came or if to continue down the road. Exhaling, he decided that he would do neither and go down a side street. As he turned, a body collided with his, knocking him back a few steps. Urawa immediately noticed that the man had incidentally spilled the contents of his coffee cup down the front of his shirt. Feeling guilty for having caused the accident, he quickly reached for his handkerchief and held it out to the stranger only to find that the green eyes staring back at him did not belong to those of a stranger after all.

"My apologies," the man started to mumble while dabbing at the coffee being absorbed into his shirt. "I should have been looking forward instead of reading my book."

"No, I should have been watching where I was going," Urawa stuttered. "Please, let me buy you a new cup of coffee."

"Nonsense, it was cold anyway."

Urawa watched the stranger for a moment more deciding his next choice of words. Should he apologize one last time and be on his way, or should he direct the man to where he needed to be. Two visions suddenly became visible to him and as painful as it was, he knew that it was her he needed to think about. "There is an arcade down the road called Crown Fruit Parlor. They have good coffee there, I would recommend stopping by."

"Thank you," the stranger spoke suddenly. "I have a few minutes to spare before my next appointment, I think I may take you up on that recommendation. My name is Zoicite."

"Urawa," he introduced himself. "Again, I apologize, but now I must be on my way. Good things await you and I will not detain you any longer."

"I -," Zoicite was cut off as Urawa quickly took off down the road. He brushed some stray strands of his long strawberry blonde hair from his face and headed towards the Crown Fruit Parlor, still dabbing at his shirt.

Urawa watched Zoicite as he wandered off in the direction he pointed to and sighed to himself. Ami would be on her way from cram school and headed to the Crown Fruit Parlor at this very same moment as well.

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Up next - Rei and Jadeite!


	2. First Loves

Chapter 2 is finally here! Thanks to everyone for reviewing! I love hearing from you! (But please feel free to review some more ; ) Without further ado...on to Rei!

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Yuuichirou stood atop the many steps of the Hikawa shrine at the entrance overlooking the grounds. It was a warm spring day, and a gentle breeze blew through the branches of the Sakura trees while several birds chirped off in the distance. Today was a day for lovers to stroll through parks while holding hands and whispering sweet endearments to each other. He had been away for almost a year now, and was filled with elation at the thought of seeing the dark haired shrine maiden. The thoughts of how much more beautiful she must have become carried him all the way from the train station across town and up the seemingly never ending steps of the shrine. It was these thoughts that now paralyzed him as she emerged from the Shrine and into his line of sight.

She was everything that he remembered if not more. Her body seemed leaner, and shapelier, perhaps even a little taller. The tint of her hair seemed brighter and her violet eyes were still shaded in mystery. Even the details of her face seemed to have become more perfected, and so he found himself mesmerized by her appearance.

His hands clutched tightly at a bouquet of Casablanca lilies, bringing them in front of his body so that he could proudly present the gift to his maiden. As his lips parted to say her name in greeting, he was silenced by the arrival of the blond haired man emerging from the shrine behind her. Yuuichirou's breath caught in his throat as he watched the man with light hair pull the maiden towards him to capture her in his arms and brush his lips against her own like lovers would do. She blushed lightly and swatted at him, slowly disentangling herself from his grip to return to her duties.

Jadeite smiled to himself as he watched Rei walk away, his eyes full of adoration. A movement in the distance caught his eye and he turned his head to notice an array of white lilies slowly drifting across the grounds of the shrine, caught in the gentle breeze of the warm spring day.


	3. A Promise is a Promise

This is a really short update, but it will be continued later on. Please review! (And thanks to everyone who has already reviewed!)

He promised that he would love her forefver and she promised the same. She thought this was what she always wanted. So then why was she suddenly so unsure of herself?

Minako should have been happy when Motokif asked her to marry him. She was happy when he asked her on their first date, and she thought she would never be happier than when he asked her to move in with him. He was her first everything and she had thought she loved him with all her heart. But despite her apparent happiness, somewhere deep in the recesses of her mind she knew that something was missing.

Then one day, he walked back into her life and she knew instantly what that missing something had been. Kunzite was everything that she remembered him being; tall, handsome, and strong – a lot stronger than she was. She could not bring herself to break her promise to Motoki; most importantly Kunzite would never allow her to break her promise. Damn him for being so honorable!

Time passed slowly for Minako from that day on. When she and Motoki would make love, she would sometimes imagine what it would be like if he were Kunzite, and instead it was Kunzite's hands on her body, holding her close to his warm chest and whispering sweet sentiments in her ear.

But it never was.

It never would be.

She had made a promise, and she would keep it.


	4. A Kiss is Just a Kiss

It's Makoto's turn - part 1!

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"Sempai!" Asanuma yelled, running over to greet Makoto.

She spun her head to look over her shoulder at the young man calling her name. "Asanuma," she replied cordially, trying to balance the bags in her arms. "How are you?"

"Very well," he answered breathlessly, standing beside her. "May I help you with your bags?"

"I can manage," she smiled in response. "I only live down the block."

"Please, it would be my pleasure." His eyes opened wide with a look of innocence and admiration so much so, that she took him up on his offer.

She carefully shifted one of her heavier bags over to him while rebalancing the other two bags still gripped tightly in her hands. "I appreciate your help, Asanuma. I will be sure to bring you a fresh batch of cookies." She winked at him and he blushed slightly at the gesture.

"I have not seen you with Nephrite as of late," he commented, trying to make small talk. Although his motives were really more suspicious as he had grown jealous of the older man's affections towards the brunette. He knew that as an underclassman he would have to struggle to prove himself worthy of Makoto. This other man though seemed to be really fond of his Sempai and at least once he had seen her react to his affections.

She stopped at her door step and started to thank the younger boy but realized that he seemed to be in a daze. "Asanuma?" she spoke loudly, trying to gesture to him with one hand whilst still balancing her bags.

"I'm sorry!" he jumped, looking up to meet Makoto's gaze. "Would you like help bringing your bags upstairs?"

"I'll be alright," she smiled brightly while reaching to take the extra grocery bag from him. "I appreciate your help." Makoto leaned over and gently kissed him on his cheek. His body went rigid as he froze, partially shocked and partially ready to do a dance from his excitement. He quickly bowed to the woman in front of him and continued down the sidewalk, a huge grin on his face as he still relished in the sensation of her lips against his cheek.


	5. Misunderstandings and Heartbreaks

Makoto - Part 2!

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Nephrite stood on the street corner across from the entrance to Makoto's apartment, waiting for her to return home. He had been trying to set things right with her since his body had been restored by the Silver Crystal. She said that she was not angry with him, nor was she afraid of him for what he had done. But still, she kept her distance and would not allow them to be together. Despite her claims that she no longer loved him, he knew that deep down she was lying to protect herself because she was afraid of getting hurt again. Why didn't she understand that he would lay down his life to protect her? Rei had surprisingly been the most forgiving and allowed Joel back into her life in almost no time. Ami, as shy as ever, still kept her distance from Zane even though anyone could plainly see that they were in love. Perhaps his heart went out to Kai most of all who could never be with his love as she was already promised to another. She tried to talk to Kai about running away together, and Nephrite knew that he would never forget the hurt tearful expression on her face as he walked in on their discussion by mistake. Kai had remained emotionless the whole time even though it had been just as painful to him. One day Kai would realize that some promises were made to be broken, although by then – who knows where they all will be….

His attention was quickly brought back to the present when he noticed that Makoto had arrived at her doorstep, although the smile quickly faded from his features when he realized that she was in the company of another man who she was now kissing goodbye. Perhaps this was why she had refused him, because maybe she really was in love with another. Nephrite could feel his fingers becoming numb as the blood flow was cut off from his hands by the intensity of his closed fists.

Slowly he turned and walked away, deciding that if this was what made her happy then he would leave her to be. He could not force her to love him and so would leave her to be in love with another. As he walked, he started to curse Kunzite for being too selfish to love the person who desperately loved him back. If he had the same opportunity with Makoto, he would waste no time in taking her any where she wanted to go, just so that they could be together. But he would never have to worry about making that choice now, she had made it for them.


	6. Welcome and Goodbye

The day started out like any other day – although today was the day before Christmas. Mina had been out shopping for some last minute gifts when she saw him. At first she thought she imagined him when she took in a glimpse of his profile before he disappeared in the throngs of people. She ran closer and found him looking into the large paned window of an art store. His attention was so completely focused that it was several minutes before he noticed that he was being watched. Mina stared, frozen in place as his eyes settled on her. One of her bags slipped from her grasp and he cautiously approached her to bend over and pick up the package. As his hand reached out to offer her the bag she started to back away, tears forming in her eyes.

"You're dead…." was all she could say before backing away. She bumped into a middle aged woman who started to chastise her for not watching where she was going, when she noticed the tears that started falling down the blonde's face. The woman looked over to notice the tall man with the pale hair holding a package in his hand. By the time she looked back to where the girl last stood, she was gone.

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It was a week later on New Year's Eve that Mina saw Kunzite again. During that time, she spoke with Usagi and Mamoru who explained that they had actually known about the return of the Shitennou for quite some time. Somehow Mina had been the last one among all of the other girls to find out that they had been released from Metallia's curse with the rebirth of the Galaxy Cauldron. It had been difficult for her to accept at first, not sure of how she felt about the four men – especially their leader. He had been everything to her in the Silver Millennium and had almost been the end of her in this life.

So for New Year's Eve, Mamoru and Usagi rented out a hotel ballroom and invited their friends, family and co-workers. At first Mina had refused to go, but Usagi insisted that there would be so many people that she would not have to speak with Kunzite if she didn't want to. In fact, there would be so many people that she probably wouldn't even see him! Begrudgingly, Mina finally acquiesced to go and managed to convince herself that she only wore her best dress because she had already bought it months ago for this party and didn't want to go out of her way for him.

Around eleven o'clock and after more drinks that Mina could count, she found herself next to the one person that she wanted to avoid more than anyone. She sat alone at the bar, an empty martini glass rested in one hand while her other hand supported her head. His deep rumbling voice was enough to pull her out of her reverie. "A water?" she laughed. "It's New Year's frickin' Eve and you're drinking a water?"

He could tell immediately by her slurred voice that she had obviously chosen to have more than just the one alcoholic drink that rested in her hand. "Does it matter what I drink?" he asked her.

"You just have to be so perfect don't you," she suddenly looked up to him and almost lost her balance on the stool. "Always so in control, always so much better than the rest of us."

"Perhaps we should save this argument for another day when you've had less to drink," he said calmly.

"You were supposed to stay dead," she hissed.

"I wanted to, but I had no say in the matter."

Her eyes looked him over and took in his features, remembering the fine lines and details of his face that she had once spent so much time studying. He could see the tears pooling in her eyes again and he felt remorse that he wasn't able to say the words that he had been wanting to say to her for a millennia. So instead he stood by helplessly while she rose from her seat and walked out of the room. Before he could talk himself out of it, he took off after her and rushed out in the hallway to find her wiping the tears from her eyes with her hands like a child would. As she turned to face him, he took her into his arms and firmly pressed his lips to her own. For a moment he was afraid that she would push him away but felt relief when she returned the kiss instead.

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"I'm sorry I didn't tell you," Mina murmured quietly. She sat sullenly on the beige colored couch. Her arms lay uselessly at her sides and a look of defeat marred her beautiful features as she stared at her feet, unable to make eye contact with the tall man across from her. The spacious room suddenly seemed to not be large enough for the two of them. She cringed at his silence and glanced over at him from the corner of her eye. Kunzite stood as still as a statue with his arms crossed and his back against the ledge of the large window overlooking the city. She was thankful to find that they were alone when she arrived at the penthouse that he shared with the other Shitennou, although she had the feeling that he may have encouraged the others to leave.

It had been a couple of months since he had last spoken to her and it had been pure agony to find that he refused to take any of her calls. She had tried everything from stopping by his work to randomly dropping by his home to showing up to places she thought he would be without any luck. The other Shitennou made excuses for him at his insistence, but even they were growing tired of being caught in the middle. Perhaps that was why he finally agreed to meet with her because even he was becoming frustrated by her persistence.

He had no words for her when she first arrived; he just simply opened the door and walked away allowing her to see herself in. She could feel her stomach sinking from this first encounter but said nothing knowing that she deserved it. Even now she knew that it would take more than wishful thinking and a heartfelt apology to make things right.

"How could you not tell me, Minako?" he asked, the disappointment evident in his voice. She was at least relieved that his anger had started to dispel even if it was replaced with something not much better.

She flinched at his use of her full name instead of her preferred nickname. "I don't know what I was thinking that night." Her mind drifted back to the New Year's Eve party. "I was angry that I didn't know you were alive. I was angry that you had been here all this time and never came to me. But I was even more scared because I knew that I was still in love with you. What would you have me do?"

"I would have you tell me that you are already engaged," he gestured towards the diamond ring that sat on her finger. "I never would have done what I did had I known."

"You would take back our kiss?" she asked weakly, even though she knew he was implying more than that.

"I would have never allowed us to make love had I known that you were promised to another."

"I don't wish to marry Motoki. That was before when I thought that I would never see you again." Her voice became desperate as she could see her words were failing to reach him.

"I won't let you leave him for me, Minako." His voice was firm and without emotion as he continued to stand in the same spot without moving.

Mina wished that he would uncross and recross his arms or scuff his slippered feet on the carpet just so that she could see that he was at least a little uncomfortable by the whole situation. Instead he still appeared calm as if he were discussing the weather. "I want to leave him for me," she protested.

"You're making a mistake," he scolded.

"I wish that you would talk to me," fresh warm tears spilled down her cheeks. "Stop being angry and let's talk. We can make things right."

"We both made a mistake, let it go." He fought with himself to ignore her tears and to resist going to her side and taking her into his arms. The ring on her finger caught the light and shined brilliantly for a moment serving as an albatross to remind him of the one thing that stood between their happiness.

"I'm pregnant." She blurted out the words so quickly that he barely had time to register them.

For a moment his world seemed to spin out of control as he tried to reorient himself, her words serving as a slap in his face. "Then you should go back to its father."

"The father doesn't want to be with me," she whispered and his eyes quickly shot over to look at her.

"You're saying that I – that I am –," he paused, placing his head in his hands to think over his words before looking up and continuing. "How do you know that I am the father? Your fiancée could just as easily be."

"He's not," she shook her head pitifully. "He and I haven't...not since you and I...I haven't been able to..."

Kunzite ran his hand through his hair. For the first time in his life – in any incarnation – he had never found himself caught so off guard. "Does he know?"

"Not yet. But I think he suspects, I'm starting to show." She slowly stood from the couch and crossed over to him, taking his hands in her own. His eyes glanced down to her slim waist and sure enough he could notice that her normally flat stomach appeared slightly rounded. "Please, we can be together. We can raise this child together."

"And what of your promise to him?" he asked her.

"We can runaway and start over."

"I can't do that, Mina," his voice softened as he pulled his hands from hers, breaking their contact.

The couple quickly turned their heads towards the door when they heard the sound of a key being inserted into the lock. Nephrite pushed the door open and looked over at the couple, suddenly regretting his decision to stop home to pick up his forgotten wallet. Mina's face was completely crestfallen while Kunzite seemed unfazed. "I'm sorry," he spoke quickly, his voice seeming to echo awkwardly in the silence. "I forgot my wallet. I'll be out of your way in two seconds."

"No," Kunzite spoke firmly. "We're done here." He looked back to Mina and started to step away from her.

She quickly reached out and grabbed his shirt, quietly pleading with the man in front of her to no avail. "I'm begging you, please don't leave me again. I don't know what else to do and I can't go back to him like this. We can be together; we can start over where ever we want. Just please don't do this."

"You need to go," he responded in a low tone, extracting his shirt from her grasp.

Mina stood in front of him for a moment frozen by his words. Part of her wanted to hit him for his callousness, yet a part of her could not be angry knowing that she brought this on herself. She wanted to kiss him again, hoping that it would be enough to make him change his mind. Ultimately she could not bring herself to do any of these things. Instead she strode out of the apartment without meeting Nephrite's concerned gaze.

Once she was gone Nephrite closed the door and turned to Kunzite. "You are an idiot." Kunzite turned to him with slatted eyes prepared to issue a warning to the dark haired man, but Nephrite did not allow him the opportunity. "She loves you and you would reject her because of some ridiculous honor system that you insist upon upholding. You are making a mistake and you don't even care."

"You don't know the first thing about any of this."

"She is willing to give up everything she has to be with you. If Makoto would make even half of that promise to me I would take her up on it in an instant. But you would rather be a cold hearted bastard and convince yourself that you are doing the right thing rather than actually do the right thing. Is it better that she stays with this man that she does not love simply because you have ordained that she should?" He grabbed his wallet off the end table against the wall and opened the door, poised to walk out. "Think long and hard about this my friend." With his final words he departed from the apartment leaving Kunzite alone with his thoughts and the memory of Mina's words.

A father.


	7. Time Gone By

This is for Chibi Rose Angel who asked me so nicely for another chapter! Anything for you!  
Reviews are always appreciated!! Show love for starving writers...and click that review button at the bottom.

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From the moment Minako started to feel the first pangs of discomfort, she knew that something was wrong. But for reasons she could not explain she did nothing until the discomfort turned into a sharp pain, and even then she waited until the pain brought her to her knees and an ambulance was called to bring her to the hospital. Motoki, panic and dread filling his eyes, rode in the back of the ambulance holding her hand all the way.

Makoto woke up that morning realizing that she had not seen or heard from Nephrite in nearly a month. A day had rarely gone by where Nephrite did not call or randomly stop by to see her, but recently he had stopped. She didn't know why and often wondered if she had done something to make him think that he was not appreciated. It was in these last few weeks that she realized how much he had actually grown on her since they were reunited. He made no secret of his affections for her, and for some foolish reason that she couldn't name, she never returned his sentiment not realizing how deeply engrained her feelings had become. Her eyes darted over to her cell phone as it lit up and started ringing with some silly song that Minako had programmed for her personalized ring tone. She picked up the phone and waited for Minako's voice to come over the earpiece with some extravagant story but instead was met with a distraught Motoki telling her that Minako had just been hospitalized.

The sun moved higher into the sky as noon approached causing the sunbeams to enter the darkened bedroom. Ami snuggled deeper into Zoicite's arms, brushing some rogue strands of hair out of her eyes. She could feel Zoicite shifting beside her as he pulled her tightly against him. This was a rare occurrence as she normally never would have stayed in bed this late, but Zoicite had other plans and was very persuasive in motivating her to do otherwise. Over the smooth sound of his breathing she could hear her phone vibrating against the nightstand. She reached her arm behind her trying to feel for the phone, laughing as Zoicite grumbled and tried to pull her arm back. Chuckling, she successfully found her phone and answered it to be greeted by a tearful Makoto telling her to get to the hospital right away.

As sure as the sun rose at dawn, so did Rei. Jadeite was impossible to wake up at that hour and so that became her time before she started her daily chores around the temple. As she emerged outside, broom in hand, she was met with a familiar face. Yuuichirou. He was sitting on the steps, a small stone being rolled between his fingertips. At first she was shocked to see him after he had been gone for so long, but then found that they fell back into the same familiar banter that she had always known with him. A couple hours passed by before he revealed to her his true feelings about why he had returned. It broke her heart to tell him that she had fallen in love with another nearly as much as it broke his heart to hear it. She allowed him to embrace her as he bid her farewell, only to be interrupted as Jadeite emerged from the temple clad only in a pair of sweatpants and slippers, with Rei's phone in hand. The next couple of minutes overwhelmed her – she wanted to explain to Jadeite that he didn't need to be jealous, but the panic in Ami's voice told her that everything else would have to wait, Minako needed her more.

Usagi and Mamoru were the first to arrive at the hospital and notified each new arriving couple that the doctors hadn't yet emerged with an update on their friend's health. They all grouped together around the waiting room, waiting for any word, whether it be good or bad, when they realized that one person was missing amongst them. The only question that now remained was who would be the one to tell him.


	8. Confessions

And the story continues! One more chapter to go and then I think this story will be done. Although I said that last time too...hmm...  
Anyway, thanks to those of you that reviewed the last chapter. Show your support and remember to hit that review button again!

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The minutes ticked by slowly with still no word about Mina's condition let alone what her condition was. Even Motoki still hadn't emerged from Mina's side to tell them anything. Usagi and Mamoru glanced around the waiting room noticing that all of the couples seemed distanced from each other save for Ami and Zoicite. Zoicite had his arm wrapped firmly around Ami's shoulder, whispering what must have been reassuring words, and receiving a rare smile in compensation. Rei was glancing at Jadeite, who stood nearby with his back pressed to the wall and arms crossed, an unreadable expression on his face. He either didn't notice her looking his way or chose to acknowledge it. Even Makoto and Nephrite seemed out of sorts. They sat next to each other, but it was obvious that they were struggling to keep a light conversation going between them.

Mamoru and Usagi finally left the room in search of the doctor. Zoicite had somehow been nominated to call Kunzite and so with great hesitation left his seat, with Ami's hand grasped tightly in his, in search of a quiet place to make his call. Jadeite proclaimed his need for some coffee and took off quickly, with Rei following after him. Makoto and Nephrite looked at each other and fell back into an awkward silence realizing that they were alone.

"You haven't called me in a while," Makoto finally said, looking over at Nephrite.

"I assumed you'd been busy," he answered, his eyes fixated on the television across the room.

"Did I do something to make you angry?" she asked timidly.

"Does it have to be about you?"

"N-no," she stammered, "I just assumed that….I must have….or something…." Words failed her and she mentally berated herself for sounding so weak.

"I didn't think that it was appropriate for me to take up so much of your time when you had someone else more important to give it to."

"I don't understand." Her lips turned into a frown and creases appeared on her normally smooth forehead. "Did one of the guys tell you that I said something?"

He sighed and looked over to her. "I've never made a secret of my feelings for you, Makoto." Her mouth suddenly felt dry and she forced herself to swallow the lump in her throat. "You have never made it a secret that you don't return those feelings. Now that I realize it's because you have someone else it would be rude of me to continue as I had."

"But I never said that," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Nephrite leaned over and cupped her chin in his hand, noticing how her lips shaped themselves into the most kissable pout. "Exactly. You never said anything." He released her chin and rose from his chair, pulling a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from his pocket as he walked out the exit of the hospital.

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Jadeite walked up to the coffee vending machine and inserted a handful of change. Without taking time to read the choices, he hastily hit the nearest button and waited as nothing happened. He sighed angrily and pushed the button again, harder this time. The machine made a few pathetic noises but still failed to dispense his coffee. A growl escaped his lips as he kicked the machine, instantly regretting it as pain shot up his leg from the impact.

Rei approached him and gently pushed a different button, not saying anything as a cup dropped from the dispenser and was quickly filled with the hot liquid.

"You always have to make it look so easy don't you?" he teased her, but she could tell that the sentiment was missing behind his crooked smile.

"You're blowing things out of proportion as usual."

"It's not my fault this coffee machine is an ancient relic that needs to be replaced," he muttered, picking up his coffee and scowling as he burnt his tongue on the first sip.

"We're not talking about the coffee machine anymore," she answered impatiently.

"Not everyone is as quick witted as you."

"Nothing happened."

"Of course not." He walked away from her and looked out the windows, watching people pass through the hospital courtyard. "You would never make that kind of a mistake, nor would you overreact like the rest of us would."

She walked over to stand next to him and crossed her arms. "You're mad at me because you're mad?"

He scowled again at her. "It loses its effect when you put it that way."

"Yuuichirou and I are just friends."

"The way he was looking at you was less than friendly."

"You can't punish me for the way someone else feels!" she exclaimed.

"Apparently I can if you're this angry," he said airily, winking at her playfully.

"You are so frustrating!" She took a step away from him. "Is it not enough that I love you? That I spend every moment with you? That you are my entire life? Do I need to marry you for you to finally be content?"

He took another sip of the coffee and wrinkled his nose at the less than flavorful taste. "I accept."

Rei's eyes opened wide and her mouth opened slightly, leaving her in with a less than normal expression that she normally would have laughed at Usagi for. "You what?"

"I accept," he repeated. "I warn you though, as my mother's only child she will want to be involved in the planning, so be nice." He placed a light kiss on her cheek and walked back to the coffee machine to get a refill.

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Zoicite dialed Kunzite's number then quickly hit the clear button, shaking his head as words failed to come to him. Ami squeezed his hand comfortingly and he dipped his head down to kiss her. She broke away from him despite his pitiful pouting and hit the talk button on his cell phone, redialing Kunzite's number. He grabbed the phone away from her and hung up before he heard the first ring.

"You're stalling," she said to him.

"I'm not stalling," he replied in a sing song voice. "I'm avoiding. Why do I have to call him? I don't even know what he's going to say. Does he even want to know that she's in the hospital? Does he even care?"

"I'm sure he cares," Ami answered quickly. "Just because he's avoiding her doesn't mean that he wouldn't want to know…." Her voice trailed off as she realized how silly she sounded. "If you don't call him you'll never hear the end of it from Jadeite." Inside she felt shameful that she resorted to such a cheap shot.

He pinched her arm as he pulled away from her. "I don't care what Jadeite says." They both knew this was a lie. Jadeite had a way of getting under Zoicite's skin without even trying. "Mamoru would be better suited to call him. That whole Prince factor protects him from whatever wrath Kunzite may want to inflict."

"You're acting irrational and now you're getting flustered," she chuckled despite the look he shot her.

Zoicite ran his fingers through his hair causing several curly strands to be pulled lose from his ponytail. "Fine. If he yells you're getting on the phone and then you can decide who's being irrational." He dialed Kunzite's number once again and listened as the phone rang shrilly in his ear. Kunzite's voicemail picked up and Zoicite rambled quickly and almost incoherently something about a sunny day, stopping by, the latest movie trailer, a hospital, back to the sunny day and then a muffled word which she was sure contained Minako's name. He hit the end button and shoved the phone in his pocket while wrapping his other arm around Ami's shoulders and leading her back towards the living room. "You're right," he smiled cheerfully. "That wasn't so bad after all."

"Of course not," she muttered. "You didn't exactly tell him either."

--  
alizeP-alizeP-alizeP-alizeP-alizeP-alizeP-alizeP  
--

Kunzite pulled his phone out of his pocket and silenced it without bothering to see who the caller was. He tenderly brushed his fingers over Minako's forehead, sliding her bangs out of her eyes. The doctor had given her a sedative to help her relax for the time being and she slipped in and out of consciousness as a result. He leaned over and gently pressed his lips to her forehead, smiling to himself as a contented sigh passed through her lips. The sound of the door opening caught his attention and he looked up to see Motoki standing in the doorway.

"So you're him."


	9. An Explanation if You Please

An update! I just realized that this update has been about four months in the making now. I've been writing and rewriting and then rewriting this chapter more times than I should probably admit to. Although I figured that if I ddin't post it now I never would! So please be kind and review - hopefully the next chapter should be out shortly.

Thanks to everyone who has been reviewing so far. And thanks to my anonymous reviewer astra-kelly who's puppy dog eyes guilted me into finishing this chapter (your review made me laugh!).

So without further ado...enjoy!

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Makoto sat in her seat for several minutes, still flustered by Nephrite's comment. He was wrong that she never said anything – she was afraid and he knew that. Being so near to him again had been a hard adjustment and it took all that she had not to jump back in his arms. This time she wanted to take their relationship slower and make sure that they were in it for each other and not because of some cosmic reincarnation joke.

Her hands balled into fists and she became angrier as he became more self-centered in her eyes. Why couldn't he understand what she wanted? Why did it have to be in his arms or not at all? She sprung from her seat and angrily walked out the exit, following after Nephrite. He stood leaning against the wall, a cigarette held loosely between his lips, and his cell phone held in his hands as his thumbs expertly flew over the small keypad typing some text message.

He didn't notice her walking towards him and still paid no mind when she stood in front of him with her arms crossed. He did, however, turn his attention to her when she pulled his phone from his hand and tossed it onto the hospital's lawn. "You could have just said 'excuse me'," he said calmly, inhaling deeply on the cigarette.

"You have no right to come into my life and start demanding that I change everything for you!" she exclaimed angrily.

"Babe," he sighed, smoke exhaling from his nose, "you are making a big deal out of nothing." He flicked the cigarette into the street despite the nearby ashtray and lit up another cigarette. "We don't have to be anything if you don't want to be."

"That's not what I said and don't tell me that I never said anything."

He took another drag and flicked the butt of the cigarette causing the ashes to disperse into the air. "You have someone else in your life, I get it. So why are you out here furious with me?"

"There is no one else in my life."

"I saw you kiss that kid on your doorstep. Unless you've made a new policy of kissing all strangers who walk past your doorstep," he smiled wickedly at her, "in which case I think you owe me several."

"Asanuma? Him?" She started to laugh much to his chagrin.

His smile faded into a frown as he flicked his cigarette again and brought it to his lips. She reached forward and pulled it from his hand and pressed her lips against his. "That is a kiss," she murmured, "in case it's been so long that you've forgotten what one is."

"So who was that then?" He reached for his cigarette and she pulled her hand back, holding it just out of his reach.

"A friend."

He stood up straight and once again towered over her, grabbing her hand and pulling her fingers towards his lips where he took another drag of his cigarette. "And how do I know that's all he is to you?"

She scowled at him and walked over to the ashtray, butting out the cigarette. "Maybe you could come over for dinner tomorrow and we could talk about it."

"A Makoto home cooked meal?" he asked, interlacing his fingers with hers.

She leaned her body against his. "I want to do it right this time, not jump in with both feet without looking."

Zoicite and Ami walked into the waiting room to find it empty of their friends. A glance outside told them that Makoto and Nephrite were talking things out and they could only assume that Rei and Jadeite had gone for a walk since they both also seemed out of sorts earlier.

They had barely sat down when Rei and Jadeite entered the room. Rei was frowning deeply while Jadeite looked over to Zoicite and pointed his finger at Rei, childishly rolling his eyes.

"Keep it up, Jadeite," Rei said menacingly without needing to look at him. She sat down in one of the chairs and grabbed a magazine, holding it up in front of her flushed face. Jadeite sat down next to her and grabbed half of the bridal magazine, pulling it towards him so that it covered both of their faces. Sharp whispers were audible between the couple when Rei grabbed the magazine from him, and in one fluid motion, rolled it up and smacked his shoulder with it. His laughter only frustrated her further as she threw the magazine back on the table grabbed a new one, verifying that the cover said People and did not feature a bride before once again holding the magazine in front of her face.

Jadeite smiled at the pair of eyes watching him. "She's a little overwhelmed right now," he said, draping his arm around the back of Rei's chair. Without another word he turned his attention towards the television.

"So you're him," the orderly said, walking into the room behind Motoki. Motoki slowly pulled his eyes away from the fair haired man at his fiancée's bedside and to the short girl with dark hair in the pink scrubs standing behind him. "The one who's supposed to sign these release forms?" she continued.

"No," he stammered. "The doctor said that he needed to wait for Minako to wake up since her parents are out of the country and we're not married. Yet." Why did he feel the need to add that word? It now only made him feel more self conscious in front of _him_.

"That's ok," the girl responded, holding the clipboard out to Motoki. "As the baby's father you can consent to this procedure. We'd prefer to have her sign for herself, but since she's been sedated we can't accept anything in writing from her." Motoki's hands wrapped around the edges of the clipboard as the peppy girl offered it to him.

"I'm not he father," Motoki mumbled, his eyes staring at the white pages of the clipboard.

"Oh," the girl said looking back and forth between the two men. "I could have sworn they said you were her fiancée."

"I am."

"I – oh," she abruptly stopped herself from saying anything more. "Then I will just take this back from you," she extracted the clipboard from his hands, "and come back in a little bit when she wakes up." With one last look she turned and strode from the room leaving Motoki and Kunzite alone with the sleeping blonde.

"I don't believe we've officially met yet," Motoki said slowly. Even with the softening of Kunzite's features he still held a powerful presence.

"No we haven't," Kunzite agreed. "And we won't meet again after this. I'm sorry to have troubled you." He bowed his head politely to Motoki and exited the room without looking back. As he stood outside the door to Minako's room he paused to wipe his hands on his jeans, his skin feeling clammy from the close encounter. He wondered if she told Motoki the truth about what they had done. It somehow felt wrong meeting this man that would be marrying his Minako. Motoki seemed pleasant enough judging by the friendly greeting he had given him, but still, it should have been _him_ at her side and not some other man. Although at this point he had no one to blame for where he stood. It was his decision to leave things as they were, and judging by the love that had been in Motoki's eyes as he looked at Minako, it may have been the right thing to do in the end.

Kunzite passed through the halls and through the waiting room without bothering to look at the familiar faces gathered. Instead he continued out the exit and approached Nephrite and Makoto, trying to ignore the compassionate look that they shared with each other. He grabbed the cigarette out of Nephrite's hand and took a long drag, walking several steps away from them before exhaling.

The couple stared at him in surprise, not even aware that he was already at the hospital let alone that he smoked. Nephrite watched him silently, not saying a word. Makoto nudged him with her elbow and he glanced down at her shaking his head firmly. She pinched his arm painfully with a frown on her face as he looked down at her with annoyance. Once more she gestured her head in Kunzite's direction, this time Nephrite took her cue. He reluctantly extracted himself away from her and approached Kunzite, already lighting another cigarette. "You smoke?" he asked casually.

"Nope," Kunzite replied, taking another drag on the cigarette.

"Glad we cleared that up," Nephrite responded dryly. He looked back at Makoto and she crossed her arms, her eyes warning him to stay where he was. "So what brings you here?" Kunzite shot him a dirty look, his forehead creasing in annoyance. "I guess you heard then. When did you get here?"

"A while ago."

"Have you seen her?"

"Briefly."

Always a man of many words, Nephrite thought to himself. "Do you know what's wrong with her? The doctor hasn't bothered to stop by and give us an update. In fact, Mamoru and Usagi took off a little while ago to see what they could find out."

"She was pregnant." He paused and took another drag of his cigarette. Nephrite waited for him to continue, but Makoto was quick to chirp in.

"Pregnant?" she asked excitedly. "That's wonderful -," the words caught in her throat as she saw the expression on Kunzite's face. "Oh no," she said, shaking her head in disbelief. "Tell me you and she didn't…." She purposely left the sentence open so as to not leave him with any denial by exemption of facts. A narrow eyed glance in her direction was all the answer she needed. "She's engaged, Kunzite," Makoto scolded. "How could you?"

"I didn't know," he protested angrily.

"We all knew! Or did you not notice that diamond ring that's been on her finger for the past few months?"

Nephrite looked over at her and waved for her to go back inside seeing as though she was doing little to improve the dialogue. Makoto shot Nephrite an angry glare but silently gave into his concession, walking slowly towards the hospital entrance. "So now when you say she _was_ pregnant…." he continued.

"I don't know. I can only assume. She left a voicemail on my phone saying that she was being admitted to the hospital and I got here as soon as I could, but she's pretty sedated right now." Kunzite took a final drag on the cigarette and Nephrite watched as the paper burned nearly to the filter. He reached into his pocket and offered Kunzite his pack of cigarettes to which Kunzite shook his head and flicked the butt into the street.

"That's a disgusting habit."

"Or so I've been told," Nephrite responded dryly.

"Kunzite," Minako choked out, her eyes opening into slits and taking in her blurry surroundings.

Motoki had been looking out the window watching as the silver haired man stood outside with a darker haired man whom he recognized to be Nephrite. He knew who Kunzite was. More than once he had overheard Minako calling him and leaving him voicemails begging him to call her back. No one else seemed to think anything of this, simply replying that they were both old friends from a long time ago even though no one had actually seen the couple within proximity of each other. It wasn't evidence that Motoki needed though – he just somehow knew deep down that something was wrong. Maybe it was the way that Minako always seemed to be lost in her thoughts, or maybe that she smiled less around him, or even the fact that she hadn't wanted to be touched in the past couple months. Minako was normally quite vivacious and often tackled him in her playful way when he walked through the door, but that had all stopped as well. Now all they were left with was meals eaten in silence and the occasional one sided conversation. Something was obviously bothering her but if she didn't want to discuss it, he decided not to pry.

Now though, he knew what he had been trying to deny all along. It didn't escape him the way that this 'no one' had been looking at Minako as he entered the room, nor did he miss the broken look on the man's face as he left. It had been hard enough meeting the one that he was losing his fiancée to face-to-face, but now to hear her calling Kunzite to her bedside instead of him – it took all that he had to put a smile on his face as he approached her.

"You're awake," he spoke softly, stroking her bangs and brushing them against her forehead. He slowly bent over and brushed his lips over her temple.

"Motoki," she said, her voice scratchy from her throat being dry. "Can I have a drink?"

"I'm sorry, angel," he smiled down at her sleepy face. "The doctor stopped by earlier and said that he wanted to get you into surgery as soon as they had an operating room open. No food or drink until then."

"Operating room?" she yawned sleepily and frowned. "I don't want surgery. I'm fine now."

He laughed lightly at her pout. "You've been sedated for the past two hours, I'll bet your feeling pretty good right now."

She chuckled and allowed her eyes to close again. "That I am. Where's Usagi?"

"Everyone is in the waiting room. I'll let them come up once you're out of surgery."

"Please let me see them first. They'll want to know what's going on."

"Tell you what," he said thoughtfully, "why don't I go and tell everyone what's going on and then I'll have Usagi come back up with me to see you."

"Thank you," she mumbled, sleep starting to take her over again.

"Sure," he responded, running his fingers through her hair. "Why didn't you tell me, Minako?" he whispered. She licked her lips and sighed, his only response. Hesitantly he pulled himself away from her and headed out towards the waiting room where he found their friends. Makoto was speaking hurriedly to Rei, Ami, and Usagi in hushed tones on one side of the room while Jadeite and Zoicite were quietly watching a sports game on the television. A glance out the windows told him that Mamoru and Nephrite were outside with Kunzite talking amongst themselves, although it seemed like Mamoru was the one doing most of the talking.

He cleared his throat and all eyes turned to him, ready to pounce on him for information. "She's going to be ok, guys," he said while putting on his biggest smile. "The doctor is going to send her to surgery for a small procedure then you all can see her."

"So what happened?" Ami asked, pulling away from the other girls.

"It seems she had an atopic pregnancy and the doctor is going to remove the fetus before it grows any larger."

"Can't the doctor re-implant it?"

Motoki hesitated. "It's for the best this way."

Rei looked over at Makoto and then back to Motoki noticing the pained expression in his eyes, knowing that there was more to it than just worry over surgery. "Excuse me," she said sternly and walked out of the exit.

"Can we see her?" Makoto asked, placing her hand comfortingly on Usagi's shoulder. They always seemed to be protective of her no matter what the circumstance.

"It's best if you all wait until afterwards. But she did ask to see Usagi now." He turned his eyes towards the short blonde and she nodded her head appreciatively. She scuffed her feet as she walked over to him, tears in her eyes. Motoki wrapped his arm around her and led her towards the elevators.

"I wish you would have told me about this," Mamoru said to Kunzite. "You could have told any of us about what happened."

"It wasn't one of my finer moments," Kunzite responded dryly.

"But she's having your child."

"She's marrying someone else. There's no room for me in her life."

"You're forcing her to!" Nephrite yelled at him. "I was there that day when you told her to go. If I had known that's what she was confessing to you I would have done more than tell you that you're an idiot!" Mamoru put his hand on Nephrite's shoulder to which Nephrite angrily shook him off. "You're not going to say more about this?" he demanded to Mamoru. "You're his Prince. Order him to fix this!"

Mamoru glanced around, relived that no one was near enough to hear Nephrite's rant. "Calm down. I'm not going to order anyone to do anything." Nephrite's eyes narrowed at both men and he stalked away lighting another cigarette and scowling to himself as he realized it was his last one. Kunzite's face remained impassive, but his eyes betrayed him and this was not missed by Mamoru. "If you knew that she was pregnant than why did you go through so much effort to avoid her? I would have expected more from you."

"I am not what you think I am," Kunzite answered slowly. "A millennia has passed since we knew each other. I have been changed and so have you. You do not get to assume to know anything about me."

"You're right," Mamoru replied calmly. "A lot has changed between us and for all of us. I'm not the same egotistical Prince that I was in the Silver Millennium. Jadeite has become less militant in his nature and Zoicite has started using his wit for humor rather than maliciousness. Although I think Nephrite still embraces his notorious arrogance." He smiled as he turned to look at Nephrite who was leaning against the wall tapping on the end of his cigarette. A foul expression crossed his features and Mamoru laughed as he looked back to Kunzite knowing that there was more meaning behind that look than words to describe it. "You, Kunzite, I cannot pretend to know or understand. Since you've returned you have managed to distance yourself from everyone and I can't imagine that it would really be such a bad thing for you to be a part of it all. You're too insistent on punishing yourself for crimes that weren't even committed by your choice. I wonder if maybe your self-loathing has grown to the point that you now have to punish Minako because you feel that you cannot punish yourself enough. I'm not asking you to marry her or to even be her friend, that's not my choice to make for you. But she is about to lose her baby – your baby – in this operation because she's scared. You need to talk to her and make peace. If you both agree that you don't want this child, then it's your combined decision to make, but you owe it to her to at least -." He never finished his sentence as he was pushed to side and stumbled to catch his footing.

Rei stood in front of Kunzite and slapped him sharply. "Of all of you, I can't believe that it was you who did this!" she yelled at him. Her hand rose again to hit the stunned man. Mamoru quickly reached for Rei and wrapped his arms around her, holding her back. He glanced over at Nephrite who was staring back, a smirk on his face, his cigarette poised for another drag.

Nephrite smiled and shrugged his shoulders. "It would be arrogant of me to think that I was needed when you seem to have the situation so well under control."

"You don't deserve her after what you did!" Rei shouted, shrugging off Mamoru. "When Minako finds out that you have been standing out here when she needs you most, she is going to realize what a coward you are once and for all."

"Rei," Mamoru said, putting his hand on her shoulder.

She stepped away from him, shooting Kunzite one last look before turning on her heel, her hair spinning behind her, and walking calmly back into the hospital waiting room as if the encounter had never occurred.

"You're wrong, Mamoru," Kunzite said, clearing his throat. "I didn't want to punish myself. I wasn't going to allow myself to forget what I had done, what I had nearly done again, but I wasn't going to live that life anymore. I was prepared to have a life of my own that didn't involve superhero's and magical powers. Then Minako came back into the picture and suddenly I was prepared to give it all up for her without even needing to be asked only to find that I couldn't have her, that I was too late. She already fell in love with someone else." He paused, disliking the sound of his next words. "Given time she will once again forget that she _was_ in love with me a millennia ago back when we were different people."

Usagi stood in the doorway of Mina's room, her face saddened by the state of her close friend and guardian. It wasn't fair that she had to go through this alone. "Motoki," Usagi said, pulling back on his arm as he began to enter the room. "Can I be alone with her," she paused as she noticed the hurt look in his eyes. "Just for a few minutes." He nodded his head solemnly and walked back out of the room, closing the door behind him as Usagi approached Mina's bedside.

"Mina," Usagi said softly.

"Usagi," Mina sighed, her eyes opening to reveal drowsy pupils. "You'll have to forgive me that I won't be able to protect you for a little while."

Usagi laughed as she squeezed her friend's hand. "I'm sure Mamoru can pick up the slack for now." Minako smiled in silent agreement, her eyes closing again. "Are you in pain?"

"Just a little."

"I can make you better."

"You can't fix this kind of pain, Princess. This is supposed to be my area of expertise." Minako's lips pulled into a smile though the rest of her face somehow remained impassive.

"Mina." Usagi held her hand over Mina's body and closed her eyes in concentration as the Silver Crystal suddenly appeared. Instantly a bright radiance started to emanate from the small crystal and into Mina's body. The blonde slowly opened her eyes, tears visibly beginning to well up.

"Please don't," Mina begged.

Usagi closed her hand and the light of the crystal ceased to shine. "I can't see you like this."

"It's not your choice to make. What I did was wrong - this is how it needs to be. I can only hope that Motoki will forgive me. I do love him, Usagi."

"Are you trying to convince me or yourself?"

"I made a mistake."

"It's ok."

"I did this on purpose."

Usagi pulled back and looked down on her friend. "You intentionally hurt your baby?"

"No!" Mina exclaimed. "I would never do something like that." She sniffled as the first of many tears escaped her eyes. "I got pregnant on purpose. I was desperate to have him love me. I didn't know what else to do. I thought that if he felt obligated he would stay with me, that, that would somehow be better than not at all." She wiped at the tears on her cheeks. "And now I'm going to lose him, and Motoki, and this baby."

"Kunzite's here, Mina."

Her eyes opened wide and she nearly jumped from the bed if not for the pain in her abdomen telling her otherwise. "No," she whimpered. "I can't talk to him. How can I explain what I've done?"

"This is Kunzite, Mina, he'll listen."

"Not now."

"You're going to go through with this and not let him have any say? It's his child too!"

"Not anymore. It stopped being his when he told me to leave his apartment a week ago." Mina's eyes softened as she met Usagi's concerned ones. "It's ok, Usagi. Nature has made this decision for me and I accept it."

Both girls turned their attention to the knocking on the door, Mina holding her breath and squeezing Usagi's hand as it opened to reveal the entrant.

He took in the sad expressions on the faces of the two girls before clearing his throat and speaking. "Usagi," he said, "can you give Mina and me a moment alone?"


	10. The Three Words That Count

Updated 01/13/09 - So I concede that the previous version was a little lite and didn't deliver what it should have.... **hangs head in shame** So here is the edited version that includes the missing Kunzite/Motoki dialogue. I hope this version (an additional page added) reads better and fills in some of the gaps that I left behind before.

Thank you for those that reviewed earlier - because of you this rewrite happened. Thanks for sticking with me!

The last chapter. *breaths a sigh of relief* For anyone who's been waiting, I apologize for taking so long to publish this. A horrible case of writer's block has pretty much stopped me from working on any of my stories. Enjoy! (And review if you feel so moved - I do love those reviews....)

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Mina sat on the plush couch clad in a pair of light gray sweats, a pillow held tightly in front of her. Across from her sat Kunzite, his large frame filling the stylish beige chair. Neither had spoken very many words, but then again they had become accustomed to these prolonged silences.

She hadn't even intended to speak with him, but Usagi had been insistent, letting him in while Mina had been sleeping. When she finally woke up and wandered out into the living room, she had been quite shocked to find him waiting for her – perhaps even a little uncomfortable at being faced with the confrontation that she had been so readily avoiding. As she took a step back to retreat from the room she was effectively stopped as he called out her name and said the three words that she never thought she would hear from him – 'I was wrong.' There was vindication in that statement, although she wasn't sure that she could accept his attempt at an apology. As much as it pained her, he had always been perfect - a man of few words and also of few apologies. So maybe that was why it felt almost…wrong to hear his confession now.

Rather than rush her, he allowed her to watch him, her mouth poised as if to speak knowing that he deserved whatever response she gave him. But she never spoke, just stood as still as a statue like the perfect warrior that she was. The depths of emotions in her eyes told him that she had changed more than he would have wanted to believe. She was still the same Minako that he had known – her heart brazenly wore on her sleeve – although now that same heart was so visibly broken that it took all that he had to not instantly react.

In her mind, they had had this conversation several times – each time with a different outcome. Sometimes she ran into his arms, sometimes he to hers, and the other times usually involved him walking out the front door either of his or her choosing. It had been no easier when she parted ways with Motoki, although she knew that it wasn't right for him to stay with her when she couldn't completely give herself to him.

Both girls turned their attention to the knocking on the door, Mina holding her breath and squeezing Usagi's hand as it opened to reveal the entrant.

He took in the sad expressions on the faces of the two girls before clearing his throat and speaking. "Usagi," he said, "can you give Mina and me a moment alone?"

Usagi nodded her head and left the room without looking back to Mina, knowing that there was little she could do to help her friend. Motoki entered the room and walked to Mina's beside, gently taking her hands in his and brushing his lips across her knuckles. Mina sucked in her breath at the gesture. He loved her – it was obvious. If she apologized he would accept it. He would allow her to make this mistake and he would never bring it up to her again. He would never tell her not to see Kunzite again, he would never accuse her of infidelity again. He would just be there and love her. She couldn't allow him to. Kunzite would never let her make a mistake – he would push her to do the right thing.

Minako slipped one hand from Motoki's and wrapped it around his, trying to stop her hands from shaking. Without looking up to meet his forgiving eyes she slipped the ring from her finger and placed it into his hand, closing his fist around the small gold band. This was the right thing to do, she told herself. As much as she did love him, she just didn't love him enough.

She could feel her palms itching as she remembered the sensation of him placing the ring back into her hand before leaving the room. The brief look that he gave her still haunted her perhaps as much so as the way Kunzite had looked at her as he told her to leave his apartment. How could she be angry at either man when it was her that had been less than honest with each? Why couldn't Kunzite have come back to her sooner? Why couldn't she have just been honest with him from the beginning? Because he still would have rejected her, that's why, a nasty little voice said to her. He still would have told her to do the right thing. Although at least then there wouldn't have been a baby involved. A sharp pain set into her chest as she, for more times that she could remember in the past few days, thought of the small life that had been lost because of her own body's rejection. The doctors had told her that there was a small chance that they would be able to re-implant the fetus so that it would have a chance at life and, as small of a chance as it was, she had opted to take it. Unfortunately within a couple of days she lost the baby anyway which only served to further open the already too deep wounds.

The itch in her palm quickly started spreading through her body, the need to move, to not sit in silence any longer, overtaking her. She jumped up from the couch, the pillow that had been resting in her lap fell to the floor. Kunzite's eyes followed her movements, so sharp and alert that it almost unnerved her.

He rose from his chair and took a step towards her, intending to comfort her from whatever it was that caused her to start. His hand was nearly to her arm before she jumped just out of his reach.

"Don't touch me. I don't want – I'm not ready for you to touch me," she corrected herself, casting her eyes away from his. Even though their eye contact had been brief, it was still long enough for her to see the hurt in his eyes.

"I won't touch you," he said putting his hands up as a peace offering. "I want to make things right by you."

She couldn't stop the swell of anger that welled up in her and lashed out at him. "'Make things right by you'," she quoted him. "Is that why you came here? To see if I would forgive you so that you could move on? Maybe to alleviate the small amount of guilt that you've placed on yourself?" She stepped closer to him and pressed her finger so hard against his chest that she could minutely feel a jab of pain surging down her knuckle. "You don't get to show up after a few weeks telling me that you are sorry and expecting everything to be ok. You don't get to walk away as if nothing happened so that you can get on with your life." Tears pushed into her eyes making her feel even angrier that he was seeing her at her weakest. "I should hate you," she said spitefully, her insides churning at saying such a horrible thing to him as he visibly flinched.

It wasn't the harshness of her words that he heard, it was the meaning behind her words that made him recoil, giving him a slight feeling of hope. She said that she should hate him, not that she actually hated him. As angry as she was, maybe there was still reasoning with her. Without giving it any further thought, he placed his hand over the offending finger digging into his chest, now trapping her entire palm against his body. She immediately tensed from his touch, obviously realizing how close she had allowed herself to come to him. "That's not what I meant," he tried to keep his voice calm. Inside he wanted to grab her, to yell for her to stop so that he could apologize to her in any and every form that it took even if it meant kneeling before her to plead his case. "I don't want you to forgive me so that we can call ourselves friends and co-exist in a room. That's not what I'm asking." He released her hand from his grasp, noticing that she hesitated for a moment before withdrawing away from him. Could she feel how hard his heart was beating beneath his calm façade? "What I want I don't deserve nor will I ask for."

The look in his eyes told her more than his words ever could. She could always see what laid behind his stony expression, although she refused to name what she saw there for fear of what it would do to her resolve.

"I have to go," she said nervously. "You need to go," she added quickly, tearing her eyes away from his. "I need to be anywhere other than here right now."

"I'll go with you," Kunzite said softly, the fight in his tone quickly fading to kindness.

"I need to be alone."

"You've been alone long enough," he paused as she glanced up at him. "And I'm sorry for that too," he added. He reached out for her, noticing as she again shrunk away from him. "I won't touch you," he said for the second time that day, trying to disguise the pain in his voice. "Just let me take you where you want to go."

"I don't know where I want to go," she responded quietly.

"Then we'll just go until we get there."

And somehow she found comfort in his words knowing that he would not push her any further.

They drove for hours, stopping once for gas and again for a silent dinner where either of the two did little more than to push their food around on their plates before Kunzite finally asked the waitress for the check. As night fell Kunzite finally pulled over near an overlook and shut off the car. He said nothing to her nor did he try to comfort her. She remained in relative silence, not even asking him why he stopped.

The last remnants of moonlight shone down on the car, causing the diamond ring around her neck to glisten. He noticed it from the beginning but opted not to say anything or to ask any questions as he recognized the ring – it was the same engagement ring that she had so carefully hid from him when they were first reunited. It was also the same ring that reminded him of her deceit when she had finally decided to be truthful with him. Why she wore it around her neck he couldn't be sure. Usagi told him that Motoki had forgiven Minako for what happened, but that in the end Minako had ended the engagement. What a fool he had been to think that things would have happened any differently. They had been destined to be together in their last lifetime and he should have known better than to resist in this one. She had been everything to him back then. She was his happiness and his humanity, without her he would have been wholly consumed by Metallia with no chance of redemption in this life. How could he have been so wrong as to deny his feelings once more?

"I saw Motoki….that day….at the hospital," Kunzite said, clearing his throat. "Twice actually." Minako continued to look out the window as if she hadn't heard him, although he could notice the subtle tilt of her head letting him know that he held her attention. "We met for the first time by your bedside while you were sleeping. I suppose he knew who I was, although we were interrupted by a nurse before he had the chance to say anything." Kunzite paused to notice that had made no further indication of being interested in what he was saying. "The second time we saw each other he was on his way out of the hospital and paused just long enough to punch me." His words had their desired effect as Minako turned to look at him.

"Did you hurt him?" she asked, her voice full of concern.

Kunzite felt somewhat disappointed that she only seemed concerned with the well-being of the man who had attacked him, but at the very least she had finally spoken. "I can't make any promises that he didn't hurt his hand on my jaw," he said lightly trying not to agitate her with his normally dry response, "but I think it's safe to say that Nephrite keeled over in a fair amount of pain from laughing so hard at my expense." She turned away from him to look back out the window wanting him to think that she had lost interest in what he was saying, but he could tell by the faint reflection visible in the side window that she was fighting off a smile. A slight smile started to form on his lips as well, as the situation was rather humorous. The thought of the young arcade owner assaulting the lead Shitennou, second in command to the Prince of Earth, and the leader of Earth's armies did have a certain comical ring to it.

He slowly, yet confidently, reached over and placed his larger hand on top of hers, feeling contented when she made no move to reject him. It was a small step considering where they had once been in their relationship and how far they had to go now that they were starting over, but regardless, it was enough for him.

Behind them the moon began its final descent while in front of them the morning star came into view just as the sun's ray began to appear.


End file.
